


Seeing Shadows

by alittlefoxedup



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood: Lost Days
Genre: AU with bits taken from different canons, Damian isn’t fully in the loop, Gen, I don’t like how canon treats Talia so I’m fixing it, I promise it’ll be explained, Jason being a good older brother, Jason can see ghosts, he doesn’t realize that he can, he is an adorable little kid, more tags to come?, the idea came from some hc I saw on tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2019-11-03 22:33:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17886377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlefoxedup/pseuds/alittlefoxedup
Summary: Jason has finished his trained and gotten the Lazarus Pit’s influence mostly under control. Instead of seeking vengeance, Jason settles into a new family. Of course, problems arise because Jason can’t have anything nice, but all of his other problems are significantly more visible to others.ORTalia is a good mom does everything she can to keep her sons safe. Undoing everything Ra’s does is a lot harder when one of her sons keeps talking to nothing.





	1. Chapter 1

All Jason wanted to do was take a long weekend. Fourteen months of brutal training had been helpful and necessary. He was considerably stronger, and the Pit Madness was under control. It had to be fought constantly and felt like it was about to spring out any time now, but it was the most control Jason had ever achieved. As long as nothing Gotham related popped up, Jason would be fine. 

Talia had an excellent plan to prevent any freak outs. The solution was extremely simple. Everyone in the League of Assassins would only know him as Karim, Talia’s adopted son. Ra’s would never acknowledge it, but he’d go along with the plan as long as ‘Karim’ didn’t claim to inherit anything Ra’s owned. Jason didn’t want anything of Ra’s anyways. 

The only problem was Ra’s thought he was owed something for Jason’s dip in the Lazarus Pit, but Talia said she had worked something out that Jason could tolerate. Jason wasn’t sure how that would go. It couldn’t be too bad. Talia knew what he would and wouldn’t do and would respect that. 

Jason slipped in quietly and found Talia inspecting her weapons. The man assisting her looked terrified. Jason picked up a sword. It had been sharpened incorrectly. Someone had been in a hurry or careless. 

“It’s not unfixable.”

Talia frowned. “The damage could have been avoided altogether.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

“The armory to start. Go now.”

The guy bowed and walked as fast as he could without running. He froze when Talia cleared her throat. She motioned to Jason. To Jason’s surprise, the man bowed. 

“Forgive me, Chosen Son.”

Jason, unsure what to do, waved him away. An explanation was desperately needed. Talia motioned to the spot beside her before beginning to fix her weapons. The sound was comforting. 

“How was your trip?”

Jason sat and started helping her fix her blades. “Enlightening. Are you going to explain what just happened? Because that was weird.”

“My men will address you as my heir as they should.”

“Heir? Since when?”

“You are my son, my eldest son, but adopted. Since my father has decided Damian is his heir, you are free to be mine.”

“Talia, when did that happen? You’ve never brought this up before.”

“I thought it was understood. You are my eldest and therefore my heir.” Talia rubbed Jason’s shoulder. “You are the son I chose, and I hoped you would continue my work when I can no longer, Karim.”

Jason couldn’t explain why his throat felt thick all of a sudden. “You have bad taste. What was the deal with Ra’s?”

“You must help train Damian in what only a Robin would know so he can take his father’s mantle then his grandfather’s empire.”

“He’s just a kid. I’m not going to train a child soldier, especially not one planning on fighting in that asshole’s war.”

“I am postponing as long as I can. You can teach him everything so he won’t get hurt. Keep Damian safe and unharmed. He has been counting down the minutes until you come home.”

“I’m not letting a child fight or get hurt.”

“I agree, but my father’s influence here is greater than mine. You will be respected for being a warrior of the All Caste and my chosen son. You have mastered everything Damian’s teachers have taught. You can sway them. Us together might have enough sway to force my father to directly go against us to have his way.”

“Ra’s likes science and logic. We just have to have a factual explanation.”

“You will do well here.” Talia smiled proudly. “Focus on helping Damian, but I may require you at times. Also, Lady Shiva has expressed interest in testing you. If you can best her, I don’t believe anyone could beat you one on one. It is especially needed given the latest intel from Gotham.”

“The more we talk about that place the harder it is to stay in control.”

“I know. I will be quick. Lady Shiva has a daughter who inherited her gift. The daughter has been seen in a bat-themed costume. Should she become an adversary, I would feel better having someone who knows how to win against that skill set. That is all I will say on the matter. It is late. I would like to show you your room before you go to surprise Damian.”

“My room? What did you do?”

“I simply altered it to better suit you. No son of mine will sleep in a room meant for the common rabble.”

Jason smiled. He liked the idea of being important. Being the adopted son of Bruce Wayne only brought fake people trying to get through him to Bruce. Everyone knew no one could convince Talia to do something she didn’t want. Convincing Jason to side with them would be a lot harder anyways. He wasn’t a kid anymore and didn’t technically answer to Ra’s. Jason suddenly had power over a good amount of people, and he couldn’t be happier about it. 

Talia didn’t say anything until they arrived at his room. Damian’s room was to the right of his with Talia’s across the hall from Damian’s. If someone came for one of them, the others would hear. The safety relieved some of Jason’s uncomfortableness. 

The room was definitely big. It was more of a suite than room. The personal bathroom was off to the left. There was a sitting area and a study area. The areas were divided by short book shelves with taller shelves along most of the walls. There were places left bare on the wall left to hold trophies or weapons. Talia had used a red and cream theme with dark wood for everything. It was far better than anything Jason could have come up with, but it was clearly focused on being functional though ascetically pleasing. 

The one thing that stuck out was the sculpture on top of his dresser, directly in the center. It was made out of wood and painted. A phoenix rising from the ashes. Jason just knew that the mythical bird was giving off a victory cry as it rose above the fire that gave and took its life. 

“I came across it and thought of you. You have certainly risen stronger from ashes.”

“The dead bird that rose again. It’s right on the nose, and I kinda like the irony. Who made it?”

“A street vendor I happened to pass by. I paid far more than he asked in hopes he would make more wonderful sculptures. I have an informant tasked with checking if he makes anything else.”

Jason nodded. “Thank you. Is Damian in his room?”

“He should be. I will see you at breakfast. Don’t keep him up all night.”

“I’ll try, but he has a family history of stubbornness.”

Jason dodged the playful swat and waited for Talia to retire to her room before knocking on Damian’s door. The shuffling sounds were comical and gave away how tired Damian must be. The door opened slowly, and Damian didn’t recognize him immediately. He blinked a few times before understanding. 

“Karim! You’re back.” Damian wrapped his arms around Jason’s waist, but his fingers didn’t meet each other. 

Jason just picked him up into a hug. “Oh, has someone missed me?”

Damian mumbled something into Jason’s shoulder. Jason jostled that shoulder. The mad look didn’t last long. 

“How was your trip?”

“It was good, but I didn’t get a lot of sightseeing done. Gotten into trouble lately?”

“I have done nothing of the sort.”

“Uh huh. So you’ve followed every order?”

“Most of them, but some of them were ridiculous.”

Jason smiled. “No one I need to beat up for stealing your lunch money?”

“I don’t have lunch money? Should I have lunch money?”

“I was joking. I really shouldn’t keep you up any later.”

“I’m not tired.” Damian yawned. “Tell me what happened.”

“Alright, I guess I can tell you some of it, but you have to lay down the entire time.”

Damian agreed, too tired to see the trick. Jason laid down beside him and started explaining some of the teachers he’d had. It didn’t take long for Damian to conk out. Jason’s arm had been taken prisoner so he couldn’t get away without Damian waking. The position wasn’t exactly comfortable, but Jason had slept in worse places. He could just barely reach to turn out the lights. There were certainly better and worse ways to sleep, but Jason didn’t want to give this up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m planning on continuing this. I have no idea when that will happen, but this is actually the start of the first part of a long story I’ve come up with.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As family dynamics develop, Jason explains his feelings on Gotham and sees something he can’t quite explain.

Jason let Damian show him around. He asked questions he already knew the answers to just so Damian could show off. It was adorable but concerning Damian knew so much of the dark history, but it was supposed to be part of his training. Damian was far too young to be trained like he was, but Jason couldn’t stop it without risking too much. All he could do was stay close and prevent Damian from getting hurt. 

“Will you be overseeing my training today?”

“I was just going to watch. What have you been working on?”

“Disarming.”

Jason nodded. That would be good to know, but he had a feeling the teacher wouldn’t minimize risk. Age didn’t matter to Ra’s so Damian was expected to live up to adult standards even though he was seven. Jason was going to even the odds as much as possible. 

“Will you show me what you’ve learned?”

“Maybe.”

“Karim, I’m starting to think you’ve learned nothing.”

Jason laughed and scooped Damian up before Damian knew what was happening. “Looks like you haven’t learned anything since I left. Are you not paying attention in class, huh?”

“Put me down this instant.”

Jason slung Damian over his shoulder and whistled over Damian’s complaints. He got strange looks from all the guards they passed. It only fueled Jason’s fun. The sight had to be amusing to others at least. 

All the way to their lunch with Talia, Damian struggled in vain. The stubbornness from both sides of his family must have compounded, but Jason has outlasted both sides. He could definitely handle a kid with an over inflated ego. It was one the easier side of things he’d done anyways. 

“Mother, tell Karim to unhand me this instant!”

Jason let go before being asked. Damian fell but caught himself. Jason met his glare with a smirk and sat down to the right of Talia. Talia didn’t correct him, and Damian didn’t question it. Jason wasn’t sure why he was allowed to be seated higher than Damian, but he didn’t feel like asking. 

Talia simply prompted Damian to start the conversation. Damian was happy to report on what they’d done so far and how his training was progressing. His chatter didn’t leave room for anything more than nodding along. Jason would have relaxed completely if the man in the corner wasn’t staring at him without blinking. 

“What are you looking at?” Talia put her hand over his to pull attention. 

Jason looked to her then back to the corner. Nothing was there. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought he’d seen someone only to find no one had been there. It happened a lot when he was on the streets, but he hadn’t had an occurrence since coming back. 

“Caught in a thought. It’s nothing.” The smile didn’t fool her, but Damian was satisfied. 

“You’re going to watch Damian’s lesson today?”

“He seemed to want me to.”

“I want to speak with you after.”

“Why?”

“There are things I’d like to discuss, but none are concerning. I’d like to get them out of the way.”

Jason nodded. He didn’t fully buy it, but he wasn’t going to worry Damian. It just wasn’t worth it. Damian should get at least one good day before Jason’s luck kicked in. The more the better, but fate just liked making Jason’s life difficult. Jason refused to let it hurt Damian. He’d do whatever it took to make sure Damian didn’t get screwed over just for knowing him. 

Watching Damian knock a knife out of someone’s hand for an hour was not as fun as it sounded. It wasn’t all that happened during the lesson, but Jason couldn’t remember doing anything else to be honest. He left Damian to do whatever Damian did in his free time so he could figure out what Talia wanted. 

Through the process of elimination, Jason eventually found Talia. He watched and waited as Talia sparred against several of what Jason assumed to be her men. They didn’t stand a chance, but Jason was starting to wonder how he would measure up. Surely, he’d last longer than them. 

“Karim, come. I want to see what you’ve learned.”

Jason smiled as he took up a ready position across from her. Her men quickly moved out of the way but stayed to watch. The odds of the fight being anything more than a skill test were low, but everyone liked to watch a good fight especially if it meant figuring out what the new guy could do. 

Talia had more experience, but Jason knew a lot of unique techniques. Jason wanted to win but impressing her was the goal. He’d gone through so much to get where he was. Someone, who wasn’t a child, had to acknowledge that at some point. Getting Talia’s approval meant more to him than he realized. For once in his life, he wanted to be recognized for his skill. 

“You’re holding back.” 

Jason grinned. “Damian’ll be mad if I beat you too bad.”

Talia shook her head and came at him with more force. Jason matched her, careful to keep himself in control. Winning wouldn’t impress her if he just overpowered her. They both knew he was stronger, but he’d never shown control in his fighting before he went on his little journey. A year of figuring out how to balance emotion and reason couldn’t be for nothing. Control had been the hardest lesson and the most valuable one. 

Jason finally managed to sweep Talia’s feet out from under her. The little smile he received lifted a weight he hadn’t been aware of off his shoulders. It all hadn’t been for nothing. He could protect himself from a vast majority of threats if he could gain Talia’s approval. 

“Good. You’re in much more control than before.” Talia motioned to her men to leave. 

“It got beat into my head enough. Is that why you wanted to see me?”

Talia waited until they were alone before explaining. “No, but I wanted to see since I had the chance. I want to know what your plans are. You expressed a want for revenge before your training. Is that still something you want?”

“I don’t… I don’t want to go anywhere near Gotham. I just want to put it behind me. I don’t want to think about… before.”

“I see. I assume you want to go unknown to those who knew you before?”

“If they didn’t notice before now, I don’t think they give a damn. If they know, if he knows, it’ll just complicate things at best.”

“Your past won’t define you. As far as anyone here is concerned, you’re Karim. One day, it will be needed to explain to Damian, but he is young now.”

“I don’t want to turn him against his… father, but I don’t want him anywhere near either.”

“I understand. I’ve started to question my beloved as late. How he missed you is a mystery, but I’d prefer that over him willingly ignoring. I don’t know if I want Damian to be alone with him.”

“He’ll turn Damian against you, against everything he thinks you’ve taught him.”

“I know. He won’t see how I’ve protected Damian from my father. He’ll just see what he thinks are flaws, but Damian is asking more often. He wants to meet his father, and I have no idea how that would go over with his father.”

“Denial then a couple thousand blood tests then a brightly colored suit because that’s all he knows.” Jason clenched his jaw. 

“We can drop this topic.”

“No, I just thought Alfred would find it all amusing.”

Talia put a hand on his shoulder. “If there was a way for you to speak to him without anyone knowing, I would have found it by now. If you give up your past, you must let go of the good and bad.”

“I know. I’m not going back on this, but that doesn’t mean I can’t remember it.”

“Don’t lose yourself in your memories. They are your past. Look towards the future. You’ll find what you want in life there, not in the past.”

“You know best.”

“Of course, I do. Now, find a sword. You still have much to learn.”

Jason smiled and picked out a sword from the rack. Getting out of Gotham was the best thing he could do for himself. Leaving had only made him stronger. His home had held him back so he would find a new home. It sounded so simple, but the cost was the highest he’d ever paid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the kudos and comments. I don’t have a planned update schedule as I have classes to worry about. The next chapter will be a flashback to when Jason was Robin.


	3. Chapter 3

Letting Talia test him all day had sounded like a good idea that morning, but after a full day of it, Jason just wanted to crash. Her men respecting him was still weird. No one had ever done that without him proving himself a million times at a minimum before. The people more loyal to Ra’s were a different story to be worried about later. His bed’s siren song was too strong. 

The firm bed with the softest sheets almost put him asleep immediately. That weird guy silently watching him through the day bugged him just enough to keep him awake. No one had acknowledged him so Jason had tried to ignore him. The guy would be there one second then gone the next. Jason couldn’t figure out how. His best guess was metahuman. He couldn’t afford to think about it then, but now it was all he could think about. 

Hours of thinking led to nothing. The knock on his door was almost welcome. Damian was the culprit. He kept rubbing his eyes and was about to fall asleep on his feet. 

“You wanna crash with me for the night?”

“Something’s in the walls. Keeps tapping.”

“We’ll get someone to check tomorrow. You can crash with me tonight as long as you don’t kick.”

Damian started to roll his eyes but was too tired to finish. Jason enjoyed watching his little brother shuffle to the bed and flop down. It was much easier to fall asleep with his brother pressed against his side even though he was a small heater. 

 

Jason didn’t have a lot of dreams where he knew he was dreaming. He had a few before he ended up on the streets and maybe a couple in the Manor. None since then. 

It started in Bludhaven. Jason could see City Hall from the top of some corporation building. He couldn’t remember exactly who owned it and didn’t care. It was one of the somewhat monthly meet ups with Dick. Jason only went along with it because Bruce would want to know how Dick was doing when he got back. 

“Oh, come on, Little Wing. I’m your favorite brother, right?”

“No.”

“I’m your only brother so I have to be your favorite.”

“And least favorite. That cancels out to idiot I have to follow around Bludhaven for no good reason. We don’t even do anything.”

“We talk and have fun.”

Jason huffed. “You do.”

“But I’m definitely your favorite brother.”

When Jason finally decided to look at Dick, they weren’t in Bludhaven. Dick was stretched out on the couch and pouting. Jason wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was watching through Damian’s eyes. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Grayson. I merely tolerate your presence more than Drake’s.”

Dick spun over and sat as close to Damian as possible. “Then who’s your favorite?”

“You don’t know him.”

“I don’t know him? Then who is this mystery brother?”

“None of your concern.”

“Sounds fake.”

Damian stood up. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A girl stepped in between them. Jason didn’t recognize her, but Damian knew her. She calmed him somewhat. 

“Mother’s side?”

“Talia? Talia? She has another kid? Is he older, younger, Bruce’s?”

Damian sighed and sat down. Jason didn’t like how sad Damian felt. That shouldn’t be how Damian felt when thinking about Jason. Something was wrong. 

“Mother adopted someone. She named him Karim after restoring his life in the Lazarus Pit. Ra’s did not like him. Let us leave it at that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Dami.”

Tim approached slowly. “Did he have a white streak in his hair? I think I might have seen him. He told me he didn’t work for Ra’s when I told him I thought he was there to bring me back to Ra’s. Fighting him would have been useless, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course. Karim would have destroyed you. None of you could have beaten him.”

Cass raised an eyebrow. 

“Lady Shiva was a warm up for him.”

Jason enjoyed the rush of pride Damian felt when his siblings looked shocked. The call for dinner ended the conversation. 

 

Jason woke up more alert than he liked. The dream was just weird. Damian was beside him still asleep. There was no way Ra’s could get rid of Jason. As long as Talia protected him and he didn’t push any limits, it would be fine. He wasn’t going to mess up. He wasn’t going to let Damian end up under his father’s control. There wasn’t anything Ra’s could put Jason through that would make him fail Damian. It was just a weird dream. Jason wasn’t going to be out of Damian’s life, and no one could change that.


	4. Chapter 4

Jason spent the next month ignoring everything that didn’t make sense. He tried to use up all his free time with Damian. Teaching Damian how to be a kid helped keep Jason’s thoughts from wandering. It was mostly sneaking Damian candy and escaping to the roof to talk about everything and nothing. The bonding time was a nice break from the training with Lady Shiva that Talia set up and insisted on. 

Talia had not given an explanation as to why Jason needed to train so hard. The explanation didn’t come from her. Everyone was talking about the upcoming tournament. Damian explained in extreme detail when asked. All of the best of the League would participate with some hired mercenaries invited. The al Ghuls’ would sponsor a fighter each. 

“This is the first time I’ve been allowed to choose a champion. You’ll do it, won’t you?” Damian had never looked so nervous when alone with Jason. It was somehow worse than puppy dog eyes. 

“Sure, kid. When is it exactly?”

“Tomorrow night. Mother is making sure your leathers are in order.”

“You should have told me sooner.”

“I assumed you knew given your increased training.”

“No one tells me anything. I still don’t know who he is.” Jason pointed at the guy in the corner who kept following him for unknown reasons. 

Damian looked then turned around utterly confused. “Who?”

“Him. That guy in the corner.”

“Karim, is this one of those pranks you’ve spoken of? There is no one there. We’ve been alone the entire time.”

“Alright, you caught me. I was messing with you. Now, I need to talk to Mom about this whole not telling me business. I’ll see you in the morning. Try not to get into any trouble.”

Damian relaxed. “TT, as if.”

Jason ruffled his brother’s hair and set off to find Talia before anyone thought he was crazy. She was thankfully easy to find but not alone. One look at Jason had her forcing everyone else out. Jason wanted to sit and talk things out calmly, but he couldn’t stop pacing once they were alone. 

“I see the pre-tournament nerves have set in.”

“Can the Lazarus Pit make me hallucinate?”

Talia frowned. “What’s happened?”

“I asked Damian if he knew the guy that was in the corner. Damian didn’t see anyone, but I keep seeing this guy.”

“What man?”

“I don’t know who he is. He looks like everyone else maybe a few outfit updates behind. He looks like he’s been around for awhile.”

“Strange. Does he do anything?”

Jason shook his head and finally sat down. “Sometimes, I’ll look back and not see him only for him to reappear in the same spot like he hadn’t moved. There isn’t some meta here that can do that is there?”

“No. There have been no accounts of hallucinations attributed to the Lazarus Pits. After the tournament, I will look into a few possibilities. For now, concentrate on the tournament.”

“Oh, about that. Why did no one tell me anything about that?”

Talia tilted her head to the side slightly. “Damian told me he would ask you to be his champion.”

“And he did, five minutes ago.”

“I will talk to him. This will not happen again.”

Jason nodded. “What’s expected of me?”

“To fight with everything you have. You are representing Damian. No one thinks you will win, but I expect you to prove yourself. Your opponents have more experience, but none of them have such a diverse training history.”

“Who am I fighting?”

“I don’t have the finalized list, but from past years, my father will invite the best fighters he can find and allow anyone who’s sworn allegiance to the League will have a chance. Damian’s father tried when he only had a couple months’ worth of training. I’m sure you could do better with both arms tied behind your back. No one expects anything from you so you can only gain from this.”

“And I’m guessing Shiva’s your pick?”

“Only because Damian chose you. I want everyone to know how far you’ve come so quickly.” Talia cupped his chin. “My father may refuse to acknowledge you, but everyone will know who you have become and what you are capable of. I’ll handle this disappearing assassin. Try not to worry too much.”

“Might as well tell the sun not to rise. I won’t do anything too drastic.”

“The competitors will start to arrive tonight. You should eat dinner with the others. I have your outfit prepared.”

“My what now?”

“This is a prestigious event. You must look the part. It’s not a black tie event, but you still need to impress them. You’re representing Damian. At least try.” 

Talia stood and moved to the package across the room. She wasted no time unwrapping it. Jason slowly approached when she beckoned him. Inside was a set of modified League leathers. The gauntlet and greaves were golden like the ones he was given by the All Caste. Talia had merged the styles together with the addition of a domino mask. 

“The mask?”

“An option in case old habits happen to die hard.”

“I don’t think wearing one of these is going to give the right impression to the kinds of people Ra’s hangs out with. I’ll pass, but the rest is amazing. Thanks, Mom.”

Talia froze for a second. Jason copied as they both realized what Jason had said. The relationship had been acknowledged by both of them, but Jason hadn’t called her ‘Mom’ before. 

“Good. I expect you to wear these leathers for dinner and during the tournament.”

“New costume?”

“A costume requires a name. You’re not allowed to use my surname, but you need to be recognized. How does Karim the Phoenix sound?”

Jason grinned. “Like something Ra’s will hate just slightly less than the other name you’ve given me.”

“Good.” Talia smiled. “Dinner will be in an hour. Meet Damian outside his room as soon as you’re ready. He’ll announce you as his champion after my father and I. This tournament is meant to ensure loyalty while giving glory to victors. There is a prize. Ra’s will grant you one wish within his power but not money. Damian gets respect. This is a family competition for us to remind us family is what’s most important. Lady Shiva will most likely answer your questions since you’ve impressed her. I expect nothing but your best. Good luck, son.”


	5. Chapter 5

Damian was dressed in his best when Jason found him. Jason wasn’t sure how he felt about the mostly ornamental sword. Probably not a good idea for a kid to have a sword, but that was the least concerning thing about Damian. There were so many other issues Jason decided to not say anything about the deadly weapons. That ship had sailed. 

“Karim, we must move quickly. I don’t want to be late.”

“We’ve got half an hour before it starts.”

“But we won’t see them arrive if we don’t hurry.” Damian grabbed Jason’s wrist and started pulling him along. 

Jason just laughed. Damian was so excited but also nervous. He had too much energy for his little body and reminded Jason of a chihuahua. It didn’t stop being funny since Damian kept tugging on Jason’s arm like it was a leash. 

When they were just a turn away from the throne room, Jason broke out of Damian’s grip. He straightened up and gave Damian a moment to compose himself. They had parts to play. Damian’s had been chosen for him. Jason wasn’t sure how to play it yet but making Damian look bad was not an option. 

“Anything you want to tell me?”

“I want you to win. I understand that you may act differently to mess with their minds. Do everything you can to secure victory.”

“I think you’re missing a word there.”

Damian sighed. “Please do everything you can to secure victory.”

“Sure thing, kiddo.”

“I am not a child.”

“You sure ain’t an adult.”

“I’m an assassin.”

“Yeah, a child one.”

Damian pushed on Jason’s hip. Jason didn’t move and caught Damian before he fell. Laughing about it didn’t help. Damian continued to try to punish Jason for the comment but got nowhere. He was forced to stop when they were close enough to the dining hall to be heard. 

“Don’t let any of them get to you. They’ll try to get you to make a scene. You’re the only heir by blood. You’ll be a target. Try to look unaffected. You can vent afterwards. Got it?”

Damian nodded and took a second to compose himself. Jason was reminded of a similar talk before his first gala. He pushed the thought away and focused on looking as neutral as possible. All he had to do was follow Damian’s lead. 

One of the guards nodded as they approached. He slipped inside and announced Damian’s arrival. All eyes were on Damian with a few glances at Jason. Jason discreetly touched Damian’s arm to reassure him. 

Damian made a beeline to Ra’s. “You must bow when we approach.”

Jason swallowed his sigh and bowed when Damian did. There were a few minutes of honoring each other Jason had to suffer through. The slight nod from Talia was encouraging. 

“What name is your champion going by?”

“Karim the Phoenix is my champion. He fights in my honor.”

“For your honor.”

“My mistake. Karim fights for my honor.”

“Karim, I hope your first time in the tournament is an eye opening experience. You may join the competitors now.”

Talia made a slight motion. Jason was pretty sure he was supposed to bow. She smiled slightly after he bowed. Jason didn’t like bowing to a literal terrorist, but he got to get away. He wanted to drag Damian with him, but Talia was with him. 

Only a few competitors had arrived. Shiva was here for Talia. Sensei, Cheshire, and David Cain were the only others. Jason knew of Cheshire and had only seen Cain in passing and explained by Shiva. The other two he knew, but he was not important to Sensei. 

Both Cain and Cheshire were forcing Shiva into a conversation she wanted no part of. Jason’s arrival gave her an out. All she did was nod an acknowledgment that Jason returned. It got the others’ attention focused on him. Jason was fine with giving Shiva a break given all she’d taught him in the past month. 

Cheshire sauntered over and put a hand on his chest. She lifted her mask off. “Who are you, handsome?”

“Karim.”

“And how’d you get an invitation?”

“Does it matter?”

“Oh, I’m just curious.” She moved her hand to his shoulder. “I’ve never heard of you, and not just anybody is let in.”

“I’m Hafid al Ghul’s champion.” The words felt weird in his mouth. Damian’s League name wasn’t used very often. 

“So you’re the kid’s toy. I see he chose… well.”

Shiva cleared her throat. “Karim is being modest. An All Caste warrior is more than qualified to be here. He’d take off your hand if fighting was allowed here.”

“Then I’ll take advantage of the opportunity. Not many boys his size are attractive.” Cheshire played with his white streak while pressing herself against him. 

Jason smirked. “I have no interest in Red Arrow’s whore.”

The look of hate and surprise was hard not to laugh at. Cheshire tried to recover but had to pull her mask back down. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’ll let you mingle.” She finally withdrew but not very far. 

Cain took over the conversation. He mostly bragged. There were a few degrading comments, but no one acknowledged them. Cheshire was the only other active participant. Jason just made faces at Shiva. She seemed to enjoy them. Sensei wasn’t paying attention to them and was scanning for threats. 

More and more trickled in. Jason was approached by many but didn’t respond more than he had to. Shiva seemed to enjoy Jason dismissing some of the best assassins in the world. No one else appreciated it. 

“You’d think they’d get a clue quicker.”

Shiva shook her head. “Their egos get in the way. They won’t take you seriously until you make them. You and Damian will be the talk of the party.”

“And when does it get fun?”

“When weapons come out. Someone will piss off Cain, and he’ll make a scene.”

“What pisses him off?”

“Do you remember what I said about his daughter?”

“Gotham inducted?”

Shiva nodded. Jason was going to make sure to sit near Cain. Something entertaining needed to happen. A target on his back would make the fighting more interesting. Anger would blind them and let Jason make fools out of him. He had plenty of dirt on all of them. 

Bane walking in was a surprise. There was a flicker of fear of being recognized that passed quickly. He’d always worn a mask and was a lot older now. No one here could possibly recognize him that didn’t already know. 

“I take it you’ve fought him before.”

Jason nodded. It didn’t take long before Bane was seeking Jason out. Gossip spread quickly. Bane wasn’t as big as he remembered. He wasn’t sure if Bane had slimmed down or if it was because he’d grown. 

“I hear you are the boy’s champion and in over your head.”

“If you can’t handle Gotham, I fail to see how you could be a threat.”

Bane laughed. “You must be behind. I snapped Batman’s back in half. His little followers have no hope against me. You must be mistaking me for one of those idiots that always lose. I have beaten a city. You are a mere fly.”

Shiva shook her head. “I have beaten the Bat as well. Karim is far more skilled and not afraid to kill.”

“Ah, it’s impressive for someone to gain your approval. Maybe he is more of a cockroach than a fly.”

Jason smirked. “Death does have a problem keeping me dead.”

“I see why they call you a phoenix. Don’t worry. I have crushed birds before. You will not be left out.”

“If you can make it that far.”

“You have spunk, but you’re still a fool.”

Jason rolled his eyes as Bane walked away. He’d figured out how to deal with Shiva for the most part. He could definitely deal with everyone present. Some would be more trouble than others but could be dealt with. He’d be fine. 

Then Deathstroke arrived.


	6. Chapter 6

Deathstroke’s arrival was an ordeal. He was last year’s winner so everyone needed to be reminded. Ra’s announced his champion’s arrival and praised him for far too long in Jason’s opinion. Now that he was here, the festivities were set into motion. 

Next on the agenda was the official announcement of Damian. There were mixed reactions on Talia’s choice of a father, but everyone knew better than to say anything. Damian looked proud of himself. Jason couldn’t help smiling at him. 

After the announcement of champions that all but outright declared Jason the underdog, food was brought out. Slipping into a seat across from Cain was easy, but Shiva didn’t follow. Deathstroke decided to sit on Jason’s right. Jason didn’t recognize the others around. 

“So the little brat is Batman’s. No wonder he picked a nobody. Who’d want to be his champion?” Cain feigned innocence. 

Jason didn’t respond. 

“I heard Shiva likes him.” Someone Jason didn’t know or care about motioned to him. 

“She’s only defending him because Talia told her to. She even went so far as to say he’s a part of the All Caste.” Cain started the group laughter. 

Deathstroke pulled his helmet off. “Are you?”

“I am.”

“And what did they teach you?”

“You’ll see when I win.”

Deathstroke whacked him on the back. “I like your style, kid, but you should show some respect to your elders or you’ll end up dead.”

“Been there, done that. Try to come up with better threats.”

Deathstroke laughed. “Your arrogance will be the death of you.”

Jason smirked. “At least, I didn’t hand over ‘the perfect assassin’ to Batman.”

Silence. No one nearby could decide who to look at. Jason kept eating like nothing had happened. Cain was fuming. There was practically a countdown to his tantrum based on how red he was getting. Jason couldn’t stop smirking. 

“Listen here, kid. You might think you’re a big deal, but you’re nobody. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then why are you mad?”

Cain jumped to his feet, pushing his chair out. “Who the hell do you think you are? Just because some kid picked you doesn’t mean anything. You’re no one and have no idea what you’re talking about. You’ll die in the first round!”

“Don’t you know phoenixes don’t stay dead?”

“You little shit.” Cain threw his steak knife. 

Jason caught it with his fork and just smiled. There was a second of silence before everyone started laughing. Cain kept yelling. Jason acted like he was ignoring everything and focusing on eating, but he was watching. Cain was escorted out by Sensei and a group of guards. 

“You know that doesn’t disqualify him, right?”

“I just wanted some entertainment. Been boring listening to people talking themselves up.”

“There was already a target on your back. Now, Cain is going to call in favors to put you down himself.”

“Am I supposed to be afraid of a guy who can’t handle a little girl? I thought this was supposed to be challenging.”

Deathstroke shook his head. “You’re either completely full of yourself or ahead of everyone here.”

“Maybe both.”

After dinner and one long speech Jason couldn’t remember a word of, Jason finally got to leave. Damian was sticking close and trying not to hold on to Jason. His hand kept opening and closing his hands. He clearly had something he wanted to talk about but couldn’t decide what to do about it. 

“Give me five minutes then come knock if you need to. It’s not going to bother me at all.”

Damian relaxed some and nodded. He did change clothes and knock on Jason’s door. Jason liked sleeping with Damian smushed against his chest. Damian didn’t say anything but stuck close. He seemed to like having his back rubbed slowly. This amount of stress should never be pushed on a kid. 

The morning was not silent. Damian’s appointed guards for the day were freaking out when they couldn’t find Damian. Talia was dragged in and sent them to Jason’s room. Jason was accused of kidnapping which Damian put down quickly before Jason could beat sense into them. 

Breakfast was filled with Damian’s chatter. Everything he didn’t say the night before poured out. No one but Jason was around so he didn’t hold anything back. Having to watch everything he said and did was exhausting. Ra’s was constantly telling him what he had done wrong. Talia didn’t step in at any point. Jason had to explain Talia had to watch herself even more than Damian. That helped calm Damian down. 

Jason couldn’t do anything about Ra’s. All of his competition would happily defend Ra’s if Jason did something. Damian might have shelter and food, but he wasn’t safe. It was normal for him. Jason wanted to do everything and more to keep Damian safe. There was a small, nagging voice in his head insisting Damian should be with the other side of his family. Gotham wasn’t safe, but it was far better than the threat of punishment and death constantly looming over him. 

Gotham was the only place that Ra’s didn’t have some sort of power over. It was the last resort but on the list. Jason had sway over Talia’s men and could deal with whoever Ra’s sent. The ones in Nanda Parbat knew what he could do. Sparring sessions with Shiva turned public quickly. The only time Jason had seen Shiva laugh was when he weaponized one of the spectators. It threw her off enough for Jason to win. 

There wasn’t time to worry about Damian. He had to find weaknesses to use against his competitors. A few sore points he already knew about. Paying attention to every fight was key. There was no telling who he’d end up fighting. He had to be prepared for anything. 

The first round didn’t allow weapons. There was an unspoken rule if it wasn’t caught before the match, it was fair game. Jason’s gauntlets could stop swords, and he knew how to disarm. The threat was tricks up sleeves. Some people loved smoke bombs. Jason didn’t want to deal with that given crowd noise. 

The first fight was quick. Cain didn’t manage to pick his opponent. Bane didn’t use any venom to win. It was quick and humiliating on Cain’s side. Shiva’s smile was the cherry on top. 

The day was full of the big names knocking out the unheard of. The only match of interest was two of Ra’s personal guards fought. It was the longest match, but Jason couldn’t be bothered to remember either of them. 

Right before the dismissal, Sensei, the chosen announcer, made things interesting. “The first fight tomorrow morning will be Lady Shiva verses Karim the Phoenix.”

Jason’s confidence fell. He couldn’t reliably win against Shiva yet. On top of that was the feeling of this pairing being planned. Ra’s might be wanting to knock him out early or Cain hadn’t got the exact deal he wanted. 

Even Shiva looked surprised. “Champions don’t fight until later typically.”

“Gotta remember nobody likes me very much and many want to be next in line.”

“Someone will be upset tomorrow.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some stuff pop up, but it’s just about cleared up. I’m hoping to update more frequently now. Thank you for all the great comments!

Jason slept horribly. He kept waking up feeling like someone was in his room. No one was ever there, but the feeling never went away. It was going to drive him crazy. Losing was not an option. He couldn’t let Damian down. He refused to be knocked out in the first round. 

When his alarm went off, the vanishing guy was at the end of his bed. It happened so quickly that Jason wasn’t sure it had actually happened. Talia was handling it. Jason needed to focus on winning. He could miss one night of sleep and still win. A cup of coffee would help. 

Breakfast was eaten in complete silence. Damian was just pushing his food around. Talia had her business face on. Jason was trying to not take in too much caffeine. There was a certain balance he needed to maintain so he didn’t get too jittery. That would mess with him in the fight. 

“Karim, I’ll understand if you lose today.”

Jason smirked. “Have a little more faith.”

“Lady Shiva is Mother’s champion and a previous winner. I am simply being realistic.”

“Neither of my sons will lose respect today. The battle will be difficult, but Karim’s training has been extensive. Lady Shiva will give it her all, but Karim has beaten her before. If Karim is beaten, everyone will see how capable he is regardless. Though I am expecting to lose my win, I could not be prouder of who will be doing so.” Talia cupped Jason’s chin then Damian’s. 

Damian looked reassured. He finally ate something then raced off to get ready. It was cute and got everything off Jason’s mind for a second, but the disappearing guy was still in the corner studying him. As much as he needed to concentrate on the tournament, he couldn’t stop thinking about that guy. He was a massive distraction and unwanted. 

“Where is your mind?”

Jason blinked a few times as he returned to reality. “Just keep seeing that guy all the time. I don’t get it. It’s hard not to think about.”

“And this is not your way of distracting yourself from the pressures of the tournament?”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if I win or lose today as long as I put up a good fight. If I win, there’ll be new problems that pop up but nothing that I can’t handle. The not knowing who he is and not knowing where to start is pissing me off.”

“We will find time to talk after your fight. Focus on that, and I will handle the rest.”

“Thank you.” Jason bowed and smiled as his new mother rolled her eyes. There were so many things to thank her for, but she didn’t need to hear to know. That didn’t mean he shouldn’t remind her every once in awhile. 

“Go now or you’ll be late.”

Jason rolled his eyes and headed out. He had to be searched for weapons then kept alone in the waiting room until the fight. The odds of needing a weapon felt low enough that Jason didn’t try to hide any weapons on him. Shiva wasn’t one to sneak in an advantage, and Jason was sure whoever checked him would be punished if they missed anything. It just wasn’t worth it. 

The waiting room was just big enough for him to work through some warmup routines. He had to let the Pit gain some ground. Shiva had a hard time keeping up with the intensity of the madness. It was his best weapon against her but only if he let it out when she wasn’t expecting it. Generally, he did better when she made the first move. Coaxing that out of her would be difficult, but Jason was good at being stubborn. 

Having the Pit bubbling right under the surface of his consciousness made him antsy. Jason wanted to go. It didn’t matter what he did, but he needed to do something. He could very easily wear himself out before the fight even started. Stretching was barely enough to curb the energy without wearing himself out. 

Jason tried not to think about how Damian would react to the Pit’s effects. 

The door finally opened. There was a short hallway then the arena floor. The cheering and haggling were deafening. The floor was hard packed sand, better than solid floor but still not the softest landing. The ring looked smaller from inside, but that might just be the tall walls. Jason couldn’t help but feel like he was under a microscope. 

If there was an announcement, Jason missed it. He only heard the gong starting signal. Shiva slid into her ready pose half a second quicker than him. They both held. And held. And held. 

Slowly, the crowd fell silent. The stare off through off everyone else. The silent assumption of Jason’s rashness was found inaccurate. The fight appeared to be completely mental like watching two masterminds playing chess in their heads. 

“Oh, come on. Are you scared of that little upstart? Hit him!” 

David Cain was the one person who could get under Shiva’s skin by simply opening his mouth and had unknowingly helped secure her defeat. 

Jason blocked her first strike. His slight smirk kept the hits coming. Trading hit after hit with no one getting anywhere. With all of his concentration on not getting hit, the Pit Madness was free to swell. 

Shiva’s eyes widened slightly when she noticed his eyes were more green than blue. The madness was overwhelming. The strength unmatched by regular humans. The speed almost too fast to track and left little react time. 

Jason grabbed both of Shiva’s arms and forced her to flip over him. He kept her arms straight. The rigidity knocked both of her shoulders out of socket. Jason slammed into her as she tried to find her balance and knocked her to the ground. Something cracked. 

Ten seconds passed as Shiva failed to get up. The gong rang three times. Jason took slow deep breaths as he stood up. His victory was met with complete silence. The target on his back grew bigger, but the absolute glee on Damian’s face paired with the pride on Talia’s was worth it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So writer’s block is hard and my concept of the passage of time is not great, but I’ve finally figured out what happens next. Here’s some ghost activity in time for Halloween. Enjoy!

Jason let one of the medical staff look him over quickly. There were bruises but nothing major. He managed to overhear a conversation about Shiva’s injuries and was grateful he’d broken some ribs instead of her spine. She would definitely come up with some brutal training to get back at him regardless. 

Damian was waiting for him right outside the medical quarters. The need to act ‘proper’ and the want to celebrate were at war in him. He was practically radiating happiness and excitement. He looked like a real kid for once. 

“I, uh, came to congratulate you.” Damian was starting to bounce on his heels. 

“And I congratulate you for picking a good champion.”

Damian beamed and ran in for a hug. His arms couldn’t fully go around Jason’s waist, and his head pushed into Jason’s lower stomach a little painfully. Jason pulled him up and carried him into a private room for the rest of the hug. 

“You’re the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

“You should have seen Grandfather after you left. He was so confused.”

“He keeps underestimating me. Maybe he got a clue.”

“He said you did better than my father.”

“Hmm.”

“You’re going to win.”

“No doubt, kid.”

“And you’ll teach me.”

“Maybe a thing or two.”

“All of it.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “I’m not allowed to teach you the ancient secrets. You gotta figure those out on your own, okay?”

Damian nodded and pushed his way further into Jason’s shoulder. Jason was pretty sure that couldn’t be comfortable but didn’t stop it. He wouldn’t do anything to prevent Damian getting the affection he asked for. It was nice to relax with his brother. He hadn’t been able to do that before. 

“Mother said I couldn’t be long.” Damian relaxed his grip but didn’t pull away. 

“You can tell me all about it later. I’m on the mandatory break. You want me to walk you back?”

“It would better explain my absence.”

Jason knew Damian wasn’t ready to admit he wanted to spend more time with him. He just nodded and went along with it. They looked kind of official together in the same way kids would dress up when parents brought them to work for the day. Jason felt like he should have crayons in his pocket or something. Damian would kill him if Jason said anything about it. The kid had too much self importance ingrained in him for the joke to be funny. 

Damian stopped at the door to his family’s viewing area. His fingers curled and uncurled a few times. A nod was Jason’s dismissal. Jason bowed slightly and gave Damian a smile no one else could see. The nervous expression faded a little when Damian smiled back. He’d be okay with Talia with him. 

Now, Jason had a whole lot of time to kill. His weapons could probably do with some cleaning, and he’d feel better with his armor cleaned. If he took his time, it might keep him occupied till mid afternoon. 

He finished cleaning a little after two as expected. He was not expecting the disappearing guy to be right behind him. Reflex brought the sword in Jason’s hand through the guy’s chest. There was no resistance. The guy looked annoyed more than anything then vanished. 

Jason knew a lot of swear words in many languages. Every single one was said at least once as he tried to comprehend what he had seen. It had to be an illusion or hallucination or something similar. That was the only thing that made sense. 

There was a part of him that had a different theory. The part of him who had thought it was a good idea to stay up and watch a special on the most haunted castles in Europe was very certain he’d seen a ghost. As much as he liked to say he was a ghost, he wasn’t sure if he really bought into the whole ghost thing. If ghosts were real, then he’d have seen some at the Manor so the likelihood was low but couldn’t be erased. Alfred seemed to think it was haunted as far as Jason could remember. 

Checking his room for an explanation other than ghosts didn’t go well. There was nothing out of the ordinary nor anything he didn’t own. He’d almost prefer to find something he’d missed every other time as long as he could put a reasonable amount of blame on it. Someone sneaking into his room was one of the worst things he could think of, but if it could prove he wasn’t going crazy, he’d be happy to deal with it. As is, Jason had no idea what to do. 

A short knock on the door brought him out of his head. He didn’t get many visitors, and it was too soon for Shiva to be up and about. Keeping a sword in hand eased his anxious paranoia. The knocker was one of the ninjas Ra’s would send in droves to overwhelm enemies and was holding a letter. 

Jason took the letter hesitantly. The ninja bowed and waited to be dismissed. Her fingers curled slightly with some unchecked emotion. Jason was still unsure if he was in a hirer station than them or not. Talia’s were definitely under him, but he didn’t know about the ones loyal to Ra’s. 

“What?”

“Congratulations on your victory today. You have made a lasting impression.” She bowed once more. 

Jason waved her off and shut his door. An impression could be good or bad, but he certainly had everyone’s attention. As far as the League knew, he’d come out of the woodwork and beaten one of their best. All they knew was he had Talia’s favor but not Ra’s. He’d be paying attention to him too. 

The letter was an invitation. Dinner with Deathstroke was certainly not something he expected. There had been a time he might have been kidnapped by him to get back at a certain acrobat, but dinner was a curveball. Who would have thought he’d invite Jason to dinner to size him up? No one ever expected Jason to be a threat. It was nice to be taken seriously. 

Hopefully, Deathstroke wouldn’t figure out who Jason had been and share that information even if that would be the funniest family meeting ever. Jason wasn’t going back to Gotham, and he wouldn’t let anyone put Damian in the colors he died in.


	9. Chapter 9

What do you wear to dinner with a mercenary feared worldwide who was going to use the dinner to gather as much information as possible to plot your downfall? Jason had had plenty of etiquette engraved in his mind, but no one had ever thought to teach him this. He’d be plenty prepared if he was trying to one up his rival in Victorian England. He knew how to politely upstage the owner of his company’s biggest competitor. He could easily show up “unexpectedly” and dump a couple millions to fund a failing orphanage to become the city’s sweetheart. 

All of this knowledge was useless as he searched his closet for something to wear to convey “business casual but my business is murder.” A suit would be great, but a tie would be too much. He also needed to have plenty of concealed weapons. There was a lot of reckless things he was willing to do, but he drew the line at defenseless against Deathstroke. He wasn’t stupid. 

Above all, Jason didn’t want to look like he was taking this too seriously. If he was too dressed up, he’d look like an idiot. On the other end, he’d look like he didn’t care about anything. If Deathstroke thought he didn’t care, he’d push and push until he found Jason’s limit. Jason wasn’t a pushover and blowing his top would make him look ridiculous as Cain. That wasn’t going to happen. He was better than that. 

A suit without the tie would have to do. Jason liked to think he pulled off the ‘killed a man in Prague in time for dinner in Paris’ look nicely. His dress shirt had two buttons undone as having three undone was too much. He wasn’t the kind of person who liked deep cuts anyways. He did like having half a dozen knives squirreled away. Having a million pockets in all of his jackets was one of his best ideas. 

Jason arrived at Deathstroke’s door a couple minutes past seven after being escorted. He didn’t recognize any of the servants and surmised they must be personal or loyal to Ra’s. Deathstroke’s quarters were expansive though slightly smaller than Talia’s. It had to be reserved for him as Jason couldn’t imagine anyone else having the balls to use it. 

“Karim, I wasn’t sure you’d come.” Deathstroke looked very Wall Street but in a far nicer suit than any typical businessman could afford. His smile conveyed the opposite of what he said.

Jason could feel himself shifting into a different skin. He only wore it during certain kinds of battles, the ones were words were weapons and every action was judged. The tiniest slip could lose him everything. It was his favorite game. He’d played it at every gala he’d ever been to and watched and learned from the best without anyone noticing except Talia. She claimed he didn’t need any lessons in it and praised his ability to know exactly what to say. Jason couldn’t explain how he knew what to say, but he always knew. 

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I thought your sponsor might want to celebrate.”

Bullshit. Everyone was aware the al Ghuls were having family dinners for the whole tournament. Getting anything about Damian wasn’t going to happen. 

“What’s there to celebrate? It’s not like I haven’t beaten Shiva before, and the tournament isn’t won yet.”

“That cockiness isn’t going to get you anywhere, you know.”

“Try telling that to Cain. If you’re going to be imparting wisdom tonight, how about what to call you? Buying me dinner feels like I shouldn’t have to call you by your title, but people who wear masks tend to be… dramatic.”

“Slade is fine.” He smiled and motioned to a server. “Wine?”

Jason took the glass that was offered and watched closely as the server poured wine first into Slade’s then Jason’s glass. He didn’t think poison was a threat but the gesture was appreciated. They both knew how everyone would react if Slade poisoned him instead of fighting like a man. 

“I’ve always wondered if it bothers Ra’s that his wine is younger than him.”

Slade laughed. “I’d like to see you ask him.”

“Maybe I’ll use my wish to get one true answer out of him and ask.”

“You think you’ll win.”

“I don’t intend to lose.”

Slade slowly moved them over to the seating area as he spoke. “It was interesting to watch your match this morning. Your patience was unexpected. I imagine it took Talia a long time to beat it into you.”

“Oh, she outsourced that.” Jason wasn’t expecting to make someone as infamous as Slade laugh so much. It didn’t sit right.

“I’m sure she spared no expense in your training, and to be able to actually compete in this tournament after so short a training is impressive. There’s rumors she sent you to the All Caste.”

“I didn’t realize you were so interested.”

“A kid showing up out of nowhere able to beat Lady Shiva is an enigma of itself, but being adopted by Talia al Ghul is something no one could have seen coming.”

Jason smiled automatically. He didn’t mean to, but being reminded Talia adopted him even though she’d seen him at his worse had that effect on him. It was a kindness he never expected to receive. 

“Especially since she has a blood son with her beloved Batman. Everyone knows she only deals with him outside of family affairs.”

“Coming back from the dead on your own tends to draw attention.”

Slade’s smile faded. “So you’re confirming those rumors?”

“There’s a reason behind my title.”

“And what were you before?”

“No one I could ever be again.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure there’s someone who misses you, some roll that could only be filled by you left open.”

“I can’t go back to being a child any better than you can convince me to tell you who I was. If you just want to know who I was, then I’ve already won this whole thing. I imagine Ra’s won’t be pleased when you lose with my sword in your chest.”

Slade smiled smugly. “I see everyone from Gotham shares the same stubborn ego. There isn’t anyone from Gotham I haven’t beat. What makes you different?”

“Isn’t that what you’re trying to find out? There’s no fun if I just tell you.” Jason knew he could easily turn the conversation to how Slade lost his kids and more to the Titans, but he wasn’t sure how many people knew that much. 

“Then tell me this: why stay with the League if you have no allegiance?”

“Because it attracts the world’s best fighters. Just because I’ve finished training doesn’t mean I’m done learning. What better place to learn?”

“From my understanding, the All Caste is the premiere teacher and you somehow got in. You couldn’t have possibly learned all of their secrets so quickly.”

“There’s nothing stopping me from going back whenever I want.”

“You might be fooling the others, but I know you’re only staying because of the kid. My guess is Talia and her brat are the closest thing you’ve ever had to a family and that Lazarus debt is the only thing keeping you and Talia from taking the kid and running. It’s easy to see the tension when you know what to look for. I am curious as to where you would run off to and how Batman will react to a son he didn’t know he had. I expect the brat to end up in Robin colors eventually.”

It took everything Jason had to will his body not to react. Slade was taking shots in the dark to see what hit. If he saw anything land, he was smart enough to piece it all back together. 

“Only after the current one dies or gets tired of him I imagine. I doubt he’ll be happy about the assassin training. I’ve heard killing is one of the many things he doesn’t like, but you’re the one who’s pissed him off.”

“He’s an annoyance at best with Nightwing just a pest.”

Jason loved ‘innocently’ hitting sore spots. “I doubt I’ll ever have to worry about them. I’ve done my time with Gotham, beating a dead horse and all that.”

“A dead horse on fire.”

Jason laughed. “And everyone there knows it.”

By the time they’d had dinner and finally called it a night, Jason was both exhausted and wired. The subtle things Slade did to get information were fairly constant. Jason hadn’t knowingly given away anything. He had expected the probes to be more subtle, but he had caught every one. Slade had given some information about himself away, but Jason was sure it was on purpose. He just didn’t know why he kept getting the impression Slade wanted him to like him. Surely, Slade wasn’t entertaining the idea he could convince Jason to side with him or crazier yet join him. The best Slade could ever hope for was for Jason to not outright oppose him. 

Jason was happy with Talia and Damian, and he never wanted that to change.


End file.
